Many security and monitoring cameras include a recording indicator to assure customer privacy. Cameras without such an indicator are essentially spy cameras. To prevent intentional or unintentional disablement of the indicator a camera may control the indicator in hardware. Thus, no malicious action in software, defect in the software, or over-the-air programming could disable it. The privacy indicator may be intended not only for the user who purchased the device, but also for anyone who might be recorded by the camera.